Check Out My Feature in Triad Real Producers
Published, September 2020
This was such a fun project to be a part of. I am humbled with gratitude for the opportunities and outpouring of support I have received from my community since the release of this article. Getting to brag about my children and tell my story was so exciting. I hope you enjoy a small glimpse into my journey of becoming the BEST Real Estate agent I can be.. FOR YOU!
When Natasha was young, she dreamed of a glamorous career in the fashion industry. But as a girl in Greensboro, she entertained herself by flipping through the pages of the free real estate catalogs found in restaurant and business vestibules. “My cousin still jokes that when she would come visit for the summer as a teen, I would drive her around neighborhoods like Starmount, Irving Park, all these places, describing listings.” Natasha memorized listings and the names of the listing agents. She collected these names like some of her peers collected baseball cards and admits that when she found herself working among them years later, she was almost star struck! “Melissa Greer, Johnny Letterman, Waban Carter, Tom Chitty, Sharon Lankford Dameron…they were my idols!” Married at only 19 years old, then a mother of three in just four years, and ultimately divorced, Natasha had to call upon her vivacious and extroverted nature, ingenuity and fortitude to provide for her household. Luckily, she had sterling examples in her parents, both of whom she credits with shaping her intrinsically as a businesswoman and a mother.
Natasha is first-generation Palestinian-American. Both her parents were born in Palestine, but eventually their families left for America to escape political unrest in their homeland. Her father’s family emigrated directly from Palestine and her mother’s arrived after spending intermediary years in Beirut, Lebanon. Nabil and Rasha met in their new country and settled in Greensboro in 1973, where they would raise four children, two boys and two girls, including Natasha. Nabil was an entrepreneur, founding and managing many businesses over the years, from convenience stores to rental property to restaurants and nightclubs. Natasha’s mother, Rasha, was who she fondly refers to as a “domestic goddess”—a savvy dresser and skilled homemaker. The whole extended family still lives in Greensboro, with the exception of Natasha’s oldest son, John, a 2019 graduate of UNCG who relocated to New York to pursue acting. Natasha’s younger children, Justin and Juliana, are both in college and happily pursuing their dreams. “They are my favorite people in all the multiverses!” laughs Natasha. Each of the kids gets a shout out on her website and the import of the connection between home and family, family and business is made evident. Natasha shares some secrets to her maternal success, saying, “In many ways, because I was so young, I grew up with my kids. I like to communicate and connect deeply with them, to know what’s going on with them at all times.” Bridgette Caldwell, a previous client turned friend of Natasha’s, describes John, Justin, and Juliana as “impeccable people that other adults love to be around and it’s all because of Natasha. She is love-centered and compassion-driven. She has a willingness to support her kids being exactly who they want to be.”
From a business perspective, Ms. Caldwell had similar sentiments. She and her husband are two-time clients of Natasha’s, buying their first home with her in 2014 and then, as their family grew, finding their “forever home” in 2016. “She only shows us what we want, not what she thinks we want.” At the time of these purchases, Natasha was working for other firms, but has since founded her own company in 2018—Natasha HanHan Triad Realty. In doing so, she earned the autonomy to conduct her business by two mottos, “Keeping It REAL Estate” and “Live Where You Love, Love Where You Live.” The emphasis on honesty, love, family, compassion is not hyperbole. These are principles that imbue every aspect of Natasha’s life. Her brother, Marwan HanHan describes their father as “ambition personified” and he believes his sister follows closely in those footsteps. But in the HanHan family, ambition and success go hand in hand with open communication and compassion.
In the years following her divorce, Natasha made her way to real estate after attempting several other careers. In addition to working weekends at her family’s restaurant, Stephen’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse, she took a second job as a mortgage lender, a pursuit she followed on the recommendation and mentorship from a cousin. After tiring of that routine, she sold clothes at Chico’s and exclaims, “I was selling my TAIL OFF!” However, that workplace wasn’t the right fit due to what Natasha perceived as unnecessary and insufferable competition. “I believe that everybody is made for greatness and there is enough to go around. If you don’t feel that way, we aren’t going to be compatible.” Around 2008, she moved on to selling new construction for Portrait Homes. “I got off to a great start, but they went bankrupt nine months later.” She took her resume to Wade Jurney Homes. She was working and selling non-stop, but juggling the untenable demands of the company while balancing life at home with pre-teens, Natasha eventually burned out. “I had to leave there because of the stress; it wasn’t worth it.” To fill the gap, she turned to Mary Kay cosmetics. But she says, “I found myself at home parties checking out the cabinets and the crown molding! I quickly realized how much I missed real estate.”
Eventually, Natasha decided to get licensed. She initially joined Keller Williams, reasoning they had the best training program, but after 3 years, shifted to eXp Realty. That move was critical to her eventually venturing out independently because “the company structure was almost like being on my own. We had avatar phone meetings, there’s no home office for agents. I already had my LLC…” Now as the owner and sole employee of her firm, she says, “I feel more purposeful! I feel like I can truly enjoy the client in front of me and I’m not bogged down by anyone else’s agenda.” And she feels proud to be a small, local business contributing and feeling connected to the community.
Of her success, her brother says, “I’m not surprised by any of her accomplishments. She’s very intelligent, maybe even underestimated for it. Natasha is a strong woman and she won’t let anything stop her.” Linda Hardin has known Natasha since 2007 when they were co-workers at Portrait Homes, Wade Jurney, and finally, Keller Williams. Linda admits Natasha easily builds rapport with her clients, saying, “She has such great energy and is fun to be around. That is what draws people towards her. As a REALTOR®, your goal is to want to make the process as enjoyable as possible.” When asked if she prefers any type of listing or client demographic over another, Natasha emphatically claims, “I’ll sell anything; property, home, even commercial. And I love the diversity and helping all kinds of people find what they need, whether they are newlyweds, first-time homebuyers, or empty nesters.”
Two years ago, Natasha not only became a small business owner but also an empty nester herself, and she says she’s finally coming to terms with this new chapter in her life. “On my recent vacation, I realized of parenting, ‘You’ve done great, it’s okay, let go.’” She says that in the future she may grow Natasha HanHan Triad Realty and hire additional staff or agents, but only if their goals and personalities align with hers. Her website claims she may one day move or expand her operation to the NC coast. In the spirit of keeping it “REAL” Natasha admits that she’s not quite ready to put her dreams of owning a fashion boutique to rest. So keep your eyes out for Natasha HanHan Boutique Fashions, because as Marwan said of his sister, “Once Natasha sets her mind on something, she’ll pursue it until she succeeds.”
